ENGLISH

Functionalism and Grammar

By T. Givón

Book information

Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Year
1995
ISBN
1556195001, 9781556195006
Google Books ID
1KWuyR4R-kUC
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
36 MB (37718713 bytes)
Pages
xviii+486\506
DPI
300
Orientation
portrait
Paginated
yes
Scanned
yes
Time added
2014-08-24 14:07:10

Description

This book is Prof. Givón's long-awaited critical examination of the fundamental theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the functionalist approach to grammar. It challenges functionalists to take their own medicine and establish non-circular empirical definitions of both 'function' and 'structure'. Ideological hand-waving, however fervent and right-thinking, is seldom an adequate substitute for analytic rigor and empirical responsibility. If the reductionist extremism of the various structuralist schools is to be challenged on solid intellectual grounds, the challenge cannot itself be equally extreme in its reductionism.

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